Cloud-based solutions enable social housing teams to increase community safety by logging, tracking, and handling abuse cases more effectively
London, 2 March 2023 – MRI Software, a global leader in real estate software, announces the launch of MRI Safer Communities, a comprehensive cloud-based case management solution for the UK social housing sector to report, manage and monitor cases of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and domestic abuse (DA). Broadening MRI’s suite of social housing software solutions, MRI Safer Communities provides an efficient way for customer-facing, ASB- and DA-focused teams to record incidents, as well as actions and interventions taken to support victims and deal with perpetrators – enabling them to make rapid and informed decisions to improve community safety.
MRI Safer Communities, a mobile-enabled and browser-agnostic solution, supports self-service to help housing associations and local authorities make their services available anytime, while empowering residents to report incidents, provide evidence, and track case progress themselves, whenever necessary. The cloud-first solution equips social housing teams to better manage all aspects of their cases, including complaints handling, investigations, enforcements, prosecutions, and reporting.
Deborah Matthews, VP Product Management at MRI Software says: “Resident safety is a core priority for all social housing organisations. Enabling residents and officers to report and monitor ASB and DA cases at any time, and from anywhere, is hugely beneficial for everyone involved.”
She adds: “MRI Safer Communities makes the whole case management process more straightforward and transparent at a time when many social housing organisations have found themselves stretched in the wake of a sharp increase in reports of ASB and DA incidents impacted by the recent pandemic and ongoing cost of living crisis. This, combined with the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (DAA) and increased regulatory scrutiny, has put a strain on the sector’s resources in responding to and managing reports effectively.”
MRI, a trusted provider of software to the social housing sector and wider property market, designed MRI Safer Communities in consultation with the sector to meet its unique challenges and needs. The DAA requires the sector to update internal policies and adopt new processes to recognise, identify, and address domestic abuse. MRI Safer Communities give social housing organisations the tools they need to comply with the new requirements.
MRI Safer Communities ASB solution enables officers to manage complaints, requests for service, investigations, enforcements, prosecutions, and reporting, while the DA solution provides the tools they need to manage everything from crisis calls and hotline services, to intake and assessments, safety planning, MARAC (Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference) meetings, accommodation placements and follow-up support.
Features include:
- An officer dashboard that provides real-time status updates with alerts and actions
- Intuitive self-service customer portal
- ‘What3Words’ integration
- A range of editable email and letter templates
- An audio transcription tool
- A comprehensive suite of management reports
- Built-in workflow automation that reduces administration
- Customisable configuration to meet local requirements (e.g., risk assessments, action plans, ASB/DA pathways, court packs, etc.)
By combining online self-service options for customers and low annual costs for supporting and hosting the system, MRI Safer Communities offers social housing organisations a proven route to substantial efficiencies and cost savings, while helping them in their continued effort to build safe and sustainable communities.
Dr. Kelly Henderson, CIHCM, Managing Director and founder of Addressing Domestic Abuse, says: “One of the features I particularly like is the transcription tool. Having tools like this to use whilst on the move is really important for effective case management.”
